Maya Hawke Reveals Taylor Swift's Massive Influence on Her Music: 'She Inspired a Generation'
Maya Hawke Reveals Taylor Swift's Massive Influence on Her Music: 'She Inspired a Generation'
Desiree AnelloMon, March 23, 2026 at 9:45 PM UTC
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Maya Hawke and Taylor SwiftCredit: Getty(2) -
Maya Hawke shared how Taylor Swift has inspired her own music as well as "a generation of young people"
"You could start any song from any word and I would be able to know where you were and finish it probably," she insisted
The Stranger Things alum also took credit for turning her famous dad, Ethan Hawke, into a Swiftie back in October 2022
Maya Hawke is proving that she's the ultimate Swiftie.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone published on Thursday, March 19, the Stranger Things actress and singer-songwriter, 27, credited Taylor Swift with making a “generation of young people listen to music and think, ‘Oh, my life could matter.’ ”
" 'My feelings could matter and the details of it could matter, my personal stories,' " she explained. "Of course, it's a Chekhovian thing, but I was hugely influenced by her."
Hawke, whose forthcoming album Maitreya Corso is set for release on May 1, went on to emphasize that she’s been listening to the pop superstar for her entire life.
"You could start any song from any word and I would be able to know where you were and finish it probably," she insisted, reiterating that Swift, 36, has been an "undeniable influence" on her own music.
After all, this wasn’t the first time Hawke has raved about her love for the “Cruel Summer” singer and her music. In October 2022, she took credit for turning her famous father, Ethan Hawke, into a Swiftie after playing him the 2010 song “Ours” from Swift’s third studio album Speak Now.
Taylor Swift performs onstage in Vancouver in December 2024Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
"I remember that song very distinctly,” she explained at the time while reflecting on her nine most formative songs for the Line of Best Fit. “My dad was such a powerful creative influence on me musically, he showed me so many songs and artists that I still listen to, and love and care about."
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"It took me a long while to be able to show him something he didn't already know about,” she continued. " 'Ours' was the first Taylor Swift song that I played for him on guitar … He told me he thought it was a really good song, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, I just brought something to my dad that he didn't know, and he likes — and I like!' It made me feel so confident.”
Before long, the father-daughter duo went to see Swift on her Speak Now tour, which Hawke remembered as “such a happy moment, sharing an experience with someone who put so much energy into cultivating my taste.”
Maya Hawke during the Tibet House US Benefit Concert in New York City in February 2024Credit: Noam Galai/Getty
Beyond gearing up to release her new album, Hawke recently teased some additional “secret” plans for summer 2026.
"I wish I could tell you, but I can't," Hawke teased to PEOPLE earlier this month at the premiere of her latest film project, Wishful Thinking. "Right now, I'm really looking forward to putting my record out and doing a little tour, but that's more spring.”
“For the full summer, I wish I could tell you, but I can't," she reiterated.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
